Wayne Bristow has been busy with his local ASO (AIDS Service Organization) putting his photography and new video creation skills to work on a World AIDS Day/Month event.

I’ve had so much fun working on this World AIDS Day event for ACCKWA (AIDS Committee of Cambridge Kitchener Waterloo and Area). I’m not going to say too much about myself here; the real story is the campaign so I introduce you to #KissHIVGoodbye.

From November 1 though to December 1 ACCKWA is running a campaign called #KissHIVGoodbye to raise awareness, encourage conversation, and fight HIV stigma.

We could have chosen “Kick HIV goodbye,” or “Poke HIV in the eye” or “Give HIV the middle finger,” but we chose “Kiss HIV Goodbye” for a number of reasons:

1)We don’t like doom and gloom, fear-based messaging. We wanted something fun, non-threatening, inspiring, and accessible where people could get creative and enjoy participating!

2)We want to show that you don’t have to be afraid of someone who is living with HIV; casual contact, affection, and intimacy do not transmit HIV. In fact, such warmth and openness contribute to the reduction of HIV stigma, which has a positive impact on our prevention efforts.

3)MAC Cosmetics has a lipstick called MAC VIVA Glam. Every cent of the purchase of a VIVA Glam lipstick goes to the MAC AIDS fund, which helps support programs at AIDS Service Organizations like ours. It seemed like a natural fit!

We hope that the spirit of “kissing HIV goodbye” will inspire love over fear, compassion over discrimination, and understanding over indifference.

PositiveLite.com's Bob Leahy shares his thoughts with The Graying of AIDS, a project which documents the lives of those aging with HIV in words and pictures, about what surviving the plague years feels like and what older HIVers bring to the table.

France scores big time! Guest author Denis Leblanc reports on an amazing French publicity campaign designed to explain to the public what undetectable viral load means and in doing so, puts a big dent in HIV stigma

PositiveLite.com's Bob Leahy shares his thoughts with The Graying of AIDS, a project which documents the lives of those aging with HIV in words and pictures, about what surviving the plague years feels like and what older HIVers bring to the table.

Minister of Justice Jody Wilson-Raybould: "Still, the over-criminalization of HIV non-disclosure discourages many individuals from being tested and seeking treatment, and further stigmatizes those living with HIV or AIDS."

Features and Interviews Section

In an exclusive interview for PositiveLite.com for World AIDS Day, Rob Easton talks with federal Health Minister Jane Philpott about Canada’s 90-90-90 achievements, a renewed federal initiative on HIV, criminalization of non-disclosure and more.

Minister of Justice Jody Wilson-Raybould: "Still, the over-criminalization of HIV non-disclosure discourages many individuals from being tested and seeking treatment, and further stigmatizes those living with HIV or AIDS."

The simple act of saying that he’s going on vacation in the US raises multiple issues for Editor Bob Leahy, from guilt to politics to religion. (When did life get this complicated?) But he’s going anyway.

PositiveLite.com's Bob Leahy shares his thoughts with The Graying of AIDS, a project which documents the lives of those aging with HIV in words and pictures, about what surviving the plague years feels like and what older HIVers bring to the table.

PositiveLite.com's Bob Leahy shares his thoughts with The Graying of AIDS, a project which documents the lives of those aging with HIV in words and pictures, about what surviving the plague years feels like and what older HIVers bring to the table.

Opinion Pieces Section

PositiveLite.com's Bob Leahy shares his thoughts with The Graying of AIDS, a project which documents the lives of those aging with HIV in words and pictures, about what surviving the plague years feels like and what older HIVers bring to the table.

PositiveLite.com's Bob Leahy shares his thoughts with The Graying of AIDS, a project which documents the lives of those aging with HIV in words and pictures, about what surviving the plague years feels like and what older HIVers bring to the table.

Blind Date at Buddies: it’s love at first sight. Bob Leahy reviews Toronto’s Buddies in Bad Times Theatre’s latest exploration of queer romance, a very clever and funny improv that draws the audience in quite literally